Feeding tips

[Striproach]

We have a few Gopher Tortoises living on our property in central Georgia. They always get scared and scamper off when they see us, I’ve seen them face plant into the dirt to their home in their haste to “escape”. We don’t want them to get hurt and wouldn’t mind increasing the nutrition of their grazing plants. I am requesting tips and suggestions on what and how to feed them so they don’t feel threatened by us when we go for a walk or cart ride on our property.
We also have a new little one that dug a burrow under the shed steps and he gets too scared to come out and eat when we need to access the shed or walk too close to the steps. He’s so fast and skittish it took a long time to identify the critter living in that hole! Glad it’s a tortoise, I named him Dash.

 

[Maro2Bear]

Very cool! Welcome to the Forum. Keep posting pix & adding updates. Always nice to see torts in the “wild”.

 

[Yvonne G]

Quite a few of the "grass eaters" are also quite fond of broad leaf weeds and plants. See if you can get some mallow to grow near his burrow under the shed. . . Mallow, prickly lettuce, clover, dichondra - any of the edible weeds would be good:

• Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
• Purslane (Portulaca oleracea)
• Sheep Sorrel (Rumex acetosella)
• Curly Dock (Rumex crispus)
• Lamb's Quarters (Chenopodium album)
• Chickweed (Stellaria media)
• Plantain (Plantago spp.)

 

[Striproach]

Very cool! Welcome to the Forum. Keep posting pix & adding updates. Always nice to see torts in the “wild”.

My 4yo daughter named the other 3, (Rainbow, Apple, & Pinecone) they’re all about 12-14” wide. We left them lettuce by their hole entrances, pinecone just stared at us like we’re being suspicious.

 

[Striproach]

Quite a few of the "grass eaters" are also quite fond of broad leaf weeds and plants. See if you can get some mallow to grow near his burrow under the shed. . . Mallow, prickly lettuce, clover, dichondra - any of the edible weeds would be good:

• Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
• Purslane (Portulaca oleracea)
• Sheep Sorrel (Rumex acetosella)
• Curly Dock (Rumex crispus)
• Lamb's Quarters (Chenopodium album)
• Chickweed (Stellaria media)
• Plantain (Plantago spp.)

Thank you for the list! I will look for those seeds to plant around the stairs in his grazing areas.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Avoid fruit
They'll eat it. But their systems aren't designed to process sugars

 

[Striproach]

Thank you for the list! I will look for those seeds to plant around the stairs in his grazing areas.

Unable to locate seeds for any of those…. Any wildflower type of seed packs that would be good for him?

Quite a few of the "grass eaters" are also quite fond of broad leaf weeds and plants. See if you can get some mallow to grow near his burrow under the shed. . . Mallow, prickly lettuce, clover, dichondra - any of the edible weeds would be good:

• Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
• Purslane (Portulaca oleracea)
• Sheep Sorrel (Rumex acetosella)
• Curly Dock (Rumex crispus)
• Lamb's Quarters (Chenopodium album)
• Chickweed (Stellaria media)
• Plantain (Plantago spp.)

where can I get mallow plants?
I did find dichondra, clover, dandelion, and sheep sorrel in his reach. Is there a wildflower seed pack type that I could plant for them?

 

[Striproach]

Thank you for the list! I will look for those seeds to plant around the stairs in his grazing areas.

Unable to locate seeds for any of those…. Any wildflower type of seed packs that would be good for him?

Quite a few of the "grass eaters" are also quite fond of broad leaf weeds and plants. See if you can get some mallow to grow near his burrow under the shed. . . Mallow, prickly lettuce, clover, dichondra - any of the edible weeds would be good:

• Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
• Purslane (Portulaca oleracea)
• Sheep Sorrel (Rumex acetosella)
• Curly Dock (Rumex crispus)
• Lamb's Quarters (Chenopodium album)
• Chickweed (Stellaria media)
• Plantain (Plantago spp.)

where can I get mallow plants?
I did find dichondra, clover, dandelion, and sheep sorrel in his reach. Is there a wildflower seed pack type that I could plant for them?

Avoid fruit
They'll eat it. But their systems aren't designed to process sugars

Good to know! I found mallow seeds at lowes.

 

[Lyn W]

Hi and welcome,
If you get the chance to photograph them we love to see pictures.
You could collect the seed heads from any of the weeds suggested and scatter them around. The fluffy dandelion heads are especially easy to spot and free!!
www.thetortoisetable.org.uk will also help you ID safe weeds.

 

[Striproach]

Hi and welcome,
If you get the chance to photograph them we love to see pictures.
You could collect the seed heads from any of the weeds suggested and scatter them around. The fluffy dandelion heads are especially easy to spot and free!!
www.thetortoisetable.org.uk will also help you ID safe weeds.

Photographing them is usually a trick because they’re skittish. But for you guys, I will try 😁. Thank you for the link. I’ll spread the seeds for them to enjoy more feasting.
Is there a way to identify gender on wild tortoises without picking them up?

 

[Striproach]

We have a few Gopher Tortoises living on our property in central Georgia. They always get scared and scamper off when they see us, I’ve seen them face plant into the dirt to their home in their haste to “escape”. We don’t want them to get hurt and wouldn’t mind increasing the nutrition of their grazing plants. I am requesting tips and suggestions on what and how to feed them so they don’t feel threatened by us when we go for a walk or cart ride on our property.
We also have a new little one that dug a burrow under the shed steps and he gets too scared to come out and eat when we need to access the shed or walk too close to the steps. He’s so fast and skittish it took a long time to identify the critter living in that hole! Glad it’s a tortoise, I named him Dash.

Got a few pictures in the heat of the afternoon… Dash lives under the shed near the house. On the back of the property, Rainbow lives in a hole about 20 yards from Apple and Pinecone. The typical view we see is of them sunning part of their butt. Dash and Pinecone were grazing until they saw us and scampered back home. Enjoy the pic of their natural home in Georgia ☺️

 

[zovick]

Got a few pictures in the heat of the afternoon… Dash lives under the shed near the house. On the back of the property, Rainbow lives in a hole about 20 yards from Apple and Pinecone. The typical view we see is of them sunning part of their butt. Dash and Pinecone were grazing until they saw us and scampered back home. Enjoy the pic of their natural home in Georgia ☺️

Nice pictures. You are quite lucky to have a good colony of Gopher Tortoises right on your property.

 

[Striproach]

Nice pictures. You are quite lucky to have a good colony of Gopher Tortoises right on your property.

Nice pictures. You are quite lucky to have a good colony of Gopher Tortoises right on your property.

We like having them around and would like to keep them healthy and local so they don’t get caught under farming equipment with all the pine fields around us.

Nice pictures. You are quite lucky to have a good colony of Gopher Tortoises right on your property.

Sorry, this site is acting weird on my mobile device.